Snake proofing overview

Fee: $80 per dog with a free re-test within one month; when you come to us in New River, AZ. (New River is 30 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona)

Thirteen years of experience. Thousands of dogs trained...and one cat.

Live rattlesnakes used in the training. Snakes are caged for everyone's safety.

Training available during the week and on the weekend.

We travel to towns around Arizona providing training. Check the training calendar.

Cost per dog when we travel to a site outside of our New River location is $80 per dog. Minimum number of dogs apply, typically 12-15. Retests at a non New River site is $30 per dog.

Call 480-215-1776 to schedule your training session.

Overview:When humans and their pets move into the desert areas of the southwest, they come into contact with the "locals". These locals: scorpions, spiders, bees, wasps, centipedes, toads, and rattlesnakes, often carry lethal poison or venom. We offer effective training that teaches dogs to stay away from the most dangerous of the locals, rattlesnakes.

The type of training we offer is often referred to as "snake proofing", or sometimes "snake breaking". However, to be perfectly accurate, the training should be called snake aversion training, or rattlesnake avoidance training. The idea behind this type of training is to have the dog associate the smell, sound and sight of a live rattlesnake with a negative correction--a shock from a shock collar. The dog is not harmed and very quickly learns to stay away from rattlesnakes.

Every year, in the United States, approximately 15,000 dogs are bitten by venomous snakes. The highest fatality rates occur in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas. Dogs are mostly bitten on the head and face, 70-80% of the time. The rest of the time; 20-30% they are bitten on the feet or legs, with rare bites occurring on the body. Rattlesnakes top the list at 80% for venomous snakes that bite dogs.

Ages for TrainingAs a rule of thumb, puppies can be trained between 4-5 months of age. The timing of the training depends on the maturity level of the dog. A very immature puppy would benefit by waiting until it's five months old; while a wise four-month-old would do just fine. We've trained puppies younger than four months because either they have already been bitten, or they've almost been bitten. In this case, the rule is: "old enough to be bitten, old enough to be trained."
If the puppy has an attention span greater than a Barlett pear, can walk on a leash, is curious, and sticks their nose into everything, they are a prime candidate for training. There is no cut off point for old age. If the dog is out and about and likely to come into contact with a rattlesnake, they should be trained. I've heard too many sad stories of people losing their old dogs to rattlesnake bites.

When to Train Now, is the best time to train. In the desert regions of Arizona, there is no "true" hibernation season for rattlesnakes. When the temperature inches toward 80 degrees(read in the high 70's) they can be active any time of the year. Veterinarians in Carefree, and Anthem, AZ have treated dogs for snakebite in January and February. Call now, 480-215-1776 to enroll your dog for training.